hey, there – it’s friday, so i’m bringing you a new addition of the 415. this time it’s another one of my favorite neighborhoods, hayes valley. and, it’s appropriate we’re headed there today, because tonight is their 20th annual holiday block party. from 6 to 9pm this evening, december 2nd there’s one big open house, with all the small shops serving drinks and snacks, playing music and hosting general revelry.

hayes valley has been revitilizing itself in leaps and bounds, including its latest proxy project. Proxy is a temporary two-block project located in San Francisco which seeks to mobilize a flexible environment of food, art, culture, and retail pop-up shops within some incredibly cool, renovated and re-purposed shipping containers. you gotta see it!

you gotta eat:

absinthe – excellent raw bar, burgers and cocktails. a great spot to stop in and rest your weary feet and quench your thirst after a long day of shopping.

bar jules – an adorable little eatery comitted to serving sustainable meat and fish. a nice spot for brunch. and, i love their sign.

blue bottle coffee – where the coffee connoisseurs drink their special drip coffee. look for the line on linden street. it’s worth it.

dobbs ferry – west coast food and east coast style with an “old world” feel, for locals, by locals.

fritz fries – these are served up with as many sauces as you can dream up, including White truffle artichoke ketchup and Miso mayo. wine and beer are served too.

hayes & kebab – healthy sized portions of yummy and authentic Mediterranean and middle eastern food. i love the wraps.

le boulange – it’s part of a small san francisco bakery chain, but most excellent. the french toast is like a beautiful little soufflé, and the salad nicoise is delish.

miette – sweet little bakery just off hayes street on octavia, it’s a bit tucked away, so don’t miss it. lovely little cakes and sweets in a charming little shop.

momi toby’s revolution cafe – i love this spot. a true local hangout with a european feel, you’ll always find regulars chit chatting the day away at the outside tables. yummy spot for lunch.

ritual roasters – part of the proxy project, ritual coffee is located in one of the repurposed and recycled shipping containers, and are my favorite bay area beans.

smitten – amazing ice cream stand with a one-of-a-kind ice cream machine, now named “Kelvin.” Kelvin’s uniqueness stems from its ability to make the smoothest, tastiest ice cream from scratch in 60 seconds from liquid nitrogen.

suppenküche – wonderful german pub with an excellent beer list. sit communal stye and get to know your neighbors while dining on some excellent Wiener Schnitzel and bratwurst — all very homemade.

two sisters bar and books – a cozy space where there’s always time to linger over a cocktail or coffee, have some yummy food, and share a bit of all things literary.

zuni cafe – my favorite restaurant in all of san francisco. it’s a bit on the outskirts of hayes valley, on market and gough. go there — order oysters on the half shell, a caesar salad, shoestring potatoes and their world famous roast chicken to share.

shopping:

alla prima lingerie – highest quality and prettiest lingerie around. definitely a place you want to treat yourself.

dish – beautiful, modern designer clothing for women in a really lovely space. i like just floating around in here, and checking out their jewelry too.

cisco home – From their giant poufs, and pretty chandeliers, everything in the shop, including Cisco’s custom made sofas make me swoon.

flight 001 – the modern traveler’s dream come true — they carry the chicest and most contemporary of travel accessories, luggage, and travel guides.

gimme shoes – just like them name – gimme these shoes! the coolist, most classic designer footwear in the city.

inside modern – mid-century modern home furnishings and accessories, just off the beaten path on gough street.

lava 9 – one of the city’s best handbag shops. if you’re looking for accessories, this is a great spot – accessories and jewelry too, for every taste and budget.

lavish – unique accessories, locally designed clothes and fantastic letterpress cards and stationery, it’s a great place for gifts!

lotus bleu – bright, colorful graphic modern textiles and home accessories to create playful but “real” living spaces. great one of kind furniture too.

mac – modern appealing clothing. i love this store, not just for the amazing designer clothing they carry, but for their collection of vintage portrait paintings. a shop with true character.

peace industry – the most beautiful handmade felted turkish rugs around. go look, you will love them.

propeller – mid-century modernists will love this shop. wonderfully unique home furnishing and lighting, not to mention great accessories and artwork.

Reliquary – vintage-inspired, well-curated clothing and accessories, with a super friendly staff. dogs are welcome, too.

zonal – great contemporary furniture juxtaposed with vintage-inspired collectibles and accessories, as well as some really great original paintings by local artists.

this week’s tips:

• for great restaurant ideas and the latest openings check out eater, and tablehopper – two experts in the field of eating.

• keep up to date on news and the latest pop-ups at proxy sf, sign up for their newsletter.

• hayes valley photo by greyvdm.

i get a lot of requests from y’all for travel tips to san francisco, and i’m always happy to oblige. i’m so proud of this city and love living here, and most especially sharing it with y’all. in fact, if you weren’t aware, i have a category on the blog devoted to san francisco happenings, and several of my favorites listed in the resources section (check out if you’re going to san francisco and you gotta eat). so, i thought i’d start a series rounding up some of my favorite spots for you. this week i’m going to start with my own san francisco neighborhood, noe valley.

and, pssst…there’s a surprise attached to this new 415 series. i’ve got a giveaway coming up that could make this information pretty valuable. that’s all i’m saying at the moment. but it’s gonna be big. it’s gonna be huge. standby.

you gotta eat:

24th street cheese company – just what you think it – a wonderful shop with a ginormous black board listing well over a hundred gourmet cheeses broken down alphabetically by type.

bacco – yummy italian specialties and authentic regional Italian cuisine, just off the beaten path on diamond street.

bernie’s coffee – a super friendly (non-chain) little neighborhood spot to grab your morning coffee and pastry. and they’ve got wifi, and outdoor seating too!

chloe’s cafe – for a top notch breakfast or brunch, and sidewalk tables, visit chloe’s. there might be a line, but it’s well worth it.

contigo – my very favorite and a love letter to Barcelona, serving up amazing spanish tapas. a fun spot to go with a group – try it all!

firefly – a magical and cozy little neighborhood spot serving up great comfort food, including a prix fixe menu Sunday thru Thursday.

incanto – a carnivore’s delight. a unique italian cafe, specializing in various cooking methods of utilizing all the bodily part of the beast.

la boulangerie – a san francisco bakery chain, but a yummy one. lovely french pastries and an excellent spot for coffee and brunch.

fattoush – an excellent little middle eastern cafe.

le zinc – a sweet little french bistro. sit outside on the garden patio and enjoy a kir royale.

lupa – the neighborhood italian trattoria.

noeteca – noe valley’s local cafe and wine bar. a place that will feel comfortable and familiar – a meeting place for friends and family.

noe valley bakery – the local baker serving up cupcakes, fresh artisan baked breads and custom cakes. yum.

pasta gina – my favorite neighborhood grocer – for italian specialties. best meatballs, homemade ravioli and cannoli around. so friendly too!

tataki south – sweet little sushi bar serving up only the freshest and sustainable fish.

the little chihuahua – excellent and super fresh mex, using organic produce and niman ranch beef. try the Fried Plantains Burritos. there’s a little outside patio, too.

shopping:

ambiance – clothing and accessories boutique for women, decorated with a vintage vibe.

curator – a sweet little shop with a line of clothing designed and produced in San Francisco. great jewelry and accessories, too.

lovejoy’s attic – sweet little vintage shop (try their charming tea room across the street, too).

omnivore books – best little cookbook shop in town. and frequent chef lectures are always on the menu. get a signed copy of your favorite cookbook.

phoenix books – the neighborhood new and used book seller.

rabat’s shoes – amazing shoes, like chie mihara’s!

urban nest – one part Parisian flea market, one part haven for pampering yourself, the urban nest is one of my favorite little san francisco shopping secrets.

wink – i love this adorable gift shop. from great bags, jewelry and home accessories to the cutest kids stuff, i always find something i want for myself at wink.

this week’s tips:

1. one thing i always tell visitors – the best time of year to visit is really right now – we get our warmest weather from about october to early november. bright clear, crisp days and not much fog at all. so keep that in mind next time you’re thinking of coming north!

2. be sure and check out My Found Locals page, and look at other Bold Italic profiles for great locals’ favorites, too.

• top image via lockedcog; neighborhood image via thomas hawk.

i was very kindly invited by rena tom to contribute a guest post for her whilst she was off gallivanting around the globe last month, so i created a little photo 101 cheat sheet for bloggers, and for sellers on etsy and beyond. i’ve included a few little photo tips and tricks for setting up a quick little home studio if you’d like to check it out. simply you can pop on over to rena tom’s blog!

smug, london.

i recently discovered this fab new site (via @renatom on twitter – thank you, rena!) — and it’s all about shopping. but, around the globe! hipshops covers the coolest shops from amsterdam to london, to budapest and brussels — and of course some new york and paris thrown in for good measure. so, say you’re planning your first trip to paris but aren’t sure where to shop, log in, check out, and save your favorites of the latest and greatest on hipshops , all broken down into the shopping categories you love. happy globetrotting!

mint, london.

hay house, copenhagen.

caravan, london.

le petit atelier de paris, paris.

aannex, berlin.

Henrik Vibskov, new york.

ben pentreath ltd, london.

i adore it.

i’m headed for new york city in less than two weeks time, and i’d love to hear about your new york favorites. tell me the parks you love, the galleries you frequent, the sweet shops and cafes off the beaten path. i want to hear it all. and as an added incentive to play tour guide for me? please comment below, and whomever gives the best tip of the trip, i’ll send a few of my favorite books about san francisco. east coast for west coast! please just comment before i leave on may 13th, and i’ll report back when i return.

albie design; transit design; dhm stuff; claudia pearson; gwen’s sew vintage; dana tanamachi; and raceytay.

philipp klinger; remster_9; new york magazine; brooklyn tweed; wall street journal; planet ware; eu kicks; new york city food blog; zoot patrol.

so, since planning my move to the new house, i’ve been searching for a few key items to add a bit of special style to the new place. one being a black eames chair. i happened to see this one on ebay, and thought no way would i ever, one, be able to afford it; and two, i’d never be lucky enough to win it! but, guess what!? i did!

and, it was affordable – $152 for a vintage eames rocker in excellent shape, is pretty darn good, and an investment, to boot! so, i wanted to share just how i scored it. in case you are unfamiliar with bidding on ebay, i’ve found the best way to get a really great deal, is to first ‘watch’ the item. don’t place a bid, just click ‘watch’ and keep your eye on it. ebay will send you an email reminder when the bidding is coming to a close and give you a few hours notice.

i also scored this tord boontje garland for just $52!

then, what i do, is set an alarm – in this case on my iphone for a half hour before the ebay bidding closes. i check in, and if the item is still affordable and hasn’t been bid out of my price range, i wait and watch some more. it’s like stealth shopping!

and then when it’s  2 minutes to close, i enter my bid and then when it’s 1 minute to close, i press send! if i think i may not win it, i increase my bid to where i’m comfortable and press send again. in this case, i swooped in over 24 other bids and won this beauty!! anyway, i was so chuffed, i just had to share, and i hope these ebay tips help you win something you’ve been dreaming about! these are just my own tips, but if you’ve got more ebay tips for us, let us know!

*garland image via door sixteen, where i found the inspiration to cover the exposed lightbulb in my bedroom.

i am still obsessed with either one), redecorating my existing apartment (oh yes, yet again); or two) – moving. I looked at a loft last week and it was pretty cool with exposed brick and big windows – it just had a couple of deal breakers, one of which was some nasty navy blue carpeting up to the bedroom (ugh), and the other was the location was pretty much exactly beneath the bay bridge. a tad noisy, you know?

but i continue to scour loftlife magazine for tips and treasure loads of inspirational photos of great loft tours. i am at a stand still. i know what i want, i just need to find it and actually rent it. i don’t even need a loft – just a place with charm over near dolores park in noe valley (should anyone have any insider scoop – please do send it my way). in the meantime here’s some inspired loft looks from loftlife magazine.